A Toronto-raised law professor at Florida State University was shot and killed over the weekend, according to a statement from the university.

Dan Markel, the father of two young boys, was shot and killed at his house in the Betton Hills neighbourhood of Tallahassee around 11 a.m. Friday, according to media reports. He succumbed to his injuries Saturday morning in hospital.

The incident is under active investigation by local police, according to a statement from the university.

The statement described Markel as an “outstanding teacher” and an “extraordinary scholar.”

There was an outpouring of grief and condolences from academics across the United States after news broke of the professor’s death.

“It was really important to him that people were welcome and felt part of the community, particularly young people,” said Matt Bodie, a law professor at Saint Louis University in Missouri.

“He went out of his way to make them feel at home, to help them with their work and to listen to them.”

Markel studied politics and philosophy as an undergraduate at Harvard University before continuing his education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the University of Cambridge. He returned to Harvard for his law degree.

A memorial service will be held in Tallahassee on Sunday before his body is repatriated to Canada. Funeral arrangements are expected to be made by his family in Toronto later this week.

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